The Zodiac Killer disappeared sometime in 1971, only to reappear on February 3rd 1974 and mail the SLA Letter to the San Francisco Chronicle the day before the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped media heiress, Patricia Campbell Hearst on February 4th. Remarkable timing from the Bay Area murderer. Not only that, but seven days later on February 10th 1974, the real Symbionese Liberation Army sent a communication targeting the Hearst Family that was intercepted at the Burlingame, California, U.S. Postal Annex, addressed to Santa Inez Avenue in Hillsborough. This too began with the wording "Dear" and signed off with "a friend". Both were withheld from the newspapers. This casts huge doubt on the Zodiac Killer being responsible for the SLA correspondence, unless you are of the opinion that the Zodiac Killer typed up the February 10th 1974 communication.
With much gratitude to Rubislaw32, a regular contributor to this site, another communication has been unearthed from the Symbionese Liberation Army Hearnap Files. This picture postcard (shown below) was mailed to Richard Nixon and the White House, postmarked 974 PM 23 MAY 1974. It read "Dear King, We know where Patty Hearst is but wait till we get your daughter. A concerned citizen for freedom." The writing is extremely scattergun, exhibiting some similarities to the April 30th 1967 Bates' letters, but just like the SLA Letter, the timing of this postcard with respect to the Badlands or Citizen Card (purportedly mailed by Zodiac) is again relevant.
The Citizen Card was mailed on May 8th 1974, so this postcard was sent approximately 15 days later. The Citizen Card read in part "Why don't you show some concern for public sensibilities and cut the ad? A citizen". The Zodiac Killer supposedly wrote the SLA Letter on February 3rd 1974, beginning the correspondence with "Dear* and signing it off with "a friend", which was mimicked by the Symbionese Liberation Army on February 10th 1974, who also began their communication with "Dear" and signed off with "a friend". Then came the supposed Zodiac Citizen Card on May 8th 1974 expressing "concern" for public sensibilities and signing off with "a citizen", which was seemingly again mimicked by the Symbionese Liberation Army on May 23rd 1974, beginning their communication with "Dear" and signing off with "a concerned citizen". Two consecutive communications accredited to the Zodiac Killer bearing an uncanny similarity to two Symbionese Liberation Army communications, separated by only 7 and 15 days. Do the math. Either the Zodiac Killer didn't write the February 3rd and May 8th communications, or the Zodiac Killer was getting in on the act of writing to the Hearst Family on February 10th 1974 and making threats to President Richard Nixon on May 23rd 1974.
The Zodiac Killer was linked to the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, as well as the Riverside Desktop Poem, Confession Letter and Bates' letters. The Riverside Desktop Poem threatened murder and pronounced "Wait till next time", while one of the Bates' letters addressed the father of Cheri Jo Bates and threatened "She had to die, there will be more". The Richard Nixon Postcard contained elements of both, with the scruffy capitalized writing below evident in the Bates' letters.
The Citizen Card was mailed on May 8th 1974, so this postcard was sent approximately 15 days later. The Citizen Card read in part "Why don't you show some concern for public sensibilities and cut the ad? A citizen". The Zodiac Killer supposedly wrote the SLA Letter on February 3rd 1974, beginning the correspondence with "Dear* and signing it off with "a friend", which was mimicked by the Symbionese Liberation Army on February 10th 1974, who also began their communication with "Dear" and signed off with "a friend". Then came the supposed Zodiac Citizen Card on May 8th 1974 expressing "concern" for public sensibilities and signing off with "a citizen", which was seemingly again mimicked by the Symbionese Liberation Army on May 23rd 1974, beginning their communication with "Dear" and signing off with "a concerned citizen". Two consecutive communications accredited to the Zodiac Killer bearing an uncanny similarity to two Symbionese Liberation Army communications, separated by only 7 and 15 days. Do the math. Either the Zodiac Killer didn't write the February 3rd and May 8th communications, or the Zodiac Killer was getting in on the act of writing to the Hearst Family on February 10th 1974 and making threats to President Richard Nixon on May 23rd 1974.
The Zodiac Killer was linked to the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, as well as the Riverside Desktop Poem, Confession Letter and Bates' letters. The Riverside Desktop Poem threatened murder and pronounced "Wait till next time", while one of the Bates' letters addressed the father of Cheri Jo Bates and threatened "She had to die, there will be more". The Richard Nixon Postcard contained elements of both, with the scruffy capitalized writing below evident in the Bates' letters.
Postcard Image: McKenzie River, Oregon with Three Sisters in the background
Color version of postcard
A series of 5 letters were mailed to Edward Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson in the June and July of 1968 with various threats - but bearing in mind the Richard Nixon Postcard above and the initial comparison to the Bates' letters - these threats contained one particular correspondence that mimicked the trinity of Bates' letter, when a communication was addressed to Edward M. Kennedy in June of 1968, just over one year later (see below). It stated "Jack had to die. Bobby had to die. Teddy has to die". The Riverside communications thrice stated Bates "had to die".
In a second letter postmarked Boston, Mass on June 29th 1968 to Edward M. Kennedy, it stated "You will die if you run for Pres or VP. We hate Kennedys".
In a second letter postmarked Boston, Mass on June 29th 1968 to Edward M. Kennedy, it stated "You will die if you run for Pres or VP. We hate Kennedys".
Here we have a selection of communications purportedly from the Zodiac Killer, Symbionese Liberation Army and a third person mailing threats to officialdom and presidential candidates. But which communications belong to which? Did the Zodiac Killer really return in 1974 and fire off four correspondences to the San Francisco Chronicle, or were all or some mailed by the Symbionese Liberation Army? Did the threat on "goverment life" in the December 16th 1969 Faifield Letter begin one year earlier with the Kennedy communications, thereby bridging the gap between Riverside and the Bay Area? I shall let you decide.
A big thanks to Rubislaw32 with his help in finding valuable communications in the Hearnap and Kennedy FBI files. Without his assistance, this article would not have been possible.
A big thanks to Rubislaw32 with his help in finding valuable communications in the Hearnap and Kennedy FBI files. Without his assistance, this article would not have been possible.